Sales packing of the blister type

ABSTRACT

A sale packing of the blister type comprises a backing plate having undercut side edge recesses for receiving and holding opposed edge flange portions of a domed front cover. The backing plate along at least one edge is additionally provided with protruding edge flange operable to be received in one of the underout edge recesses of a similar backing plate of another corresponding packing by insertion of the edge flange for edgewise joining the two backing plates as separate elements perpendicular to each other. The four similar backing plates are joinable into a square tube element. The backing plates further have at least at one side thereof a number of ribs or grooves extends parallel with the backing plate side edges in such a manner that these ribs or grooves of opposed inner walls of square tube element are operable to support the opposed edge flange portions of one or more of the front covers to enable these as separate elements to be mounted in a drawer-like manner in the square tube element.

The present invention relates to a sales packing of the blister type andof the kind comprising a backing plate having undercut side edgerecesses for receiving opposed edge flange portions of a dome shapedfront cover.

Packings of this type are used mainly as sales packings for smallamounts of articles such as screws, buttons etc., and even though themost common blister packings are made of a cardboard backing plate and adome shaped front cover e.g. of a vacuum shaped transparent plasticsheet material secured to the backing plate e.g. by means of glue andcovering the articles in question, it is nevertheless known in the artto make use of a die cast plastic backing plate and even acorrespondingly die cast front cover which is joined with the backingplate by a relative mounting displacement movement, whereby the saidedge flange portions of the front cover are brought into holdingengagement with the said side edge recesses of the backing plate. Suchpackings are of high quality and are easy to open by a returndisplacement of the front cover.

The invention is based on the cognition that such packings are openablewithout the packing elements being demolished and that the packingelements are of such high quality that upon the opening of the packingthey ought to be reusable for some qualified purpose.

On this background the invention seeks to provide a packing of the kindreferred to, which is designed in a simple manner so as to enable thepacking elements, i.e. the backing plate and the front cover,respectively, to be reusable for a reasonably relevant purpose.

The packing according to the invention is characterized by the featuresstated in the characterizing clause of claim 1. From this it will beclear that the customer, upon having procured and opened more similarpackings of this design, will be able to join four of the associatedbacking plates into a rigid square tubular structure which is able toreceive all or some of the associated front cover elements as drawers ina small chest-of-drawers, the front cover elements being horizontallyinsertable in the lying square tube with the dome portion constitutingan upwardly open bowl or box member and slidingly supported by the ribsor grooves of the opposed tube walls, which may now cooperate with thesame protruding edge flange portions of the front cover element asoriginally used in the packing for holding the front cover elementagainst the associated backing plate.

In the following the invention is described in more detail withreference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a packing according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled packing,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the possibility of joiningseveral backing plate members,

FIG. 4 is a plan front view of a frame structure made of several backingplate members, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a chest-of-drawers as built up from theelements of several packings, and

FIG. 6 is an end view of an alternative plate edge joint.

The packing shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a backing plate 2 and atransparent front cover member 4, the latter having a dome portion 6 andbeing provided with several outwardly protruding wing portions 8 alongits opposed side edges. The corresponding side edges of the backingplate 2 are shaped as relatively thick portions provided with notches 10for receiving the wing portions 8. As seen downwardly from each of thenotches 10 the side edge material of the backing plate 2 is providedwith undercut grooves 12 enabling the wings 8, once inserted into thenotches 10, to be displaced into the grooves 12 by a generally downwarddisplacement of the front cover member 4, whereby this member will befirmly locked to the backing plate, with relevant articles locatedinside the dome portion 6. The length of the undercut grooves 12 ischosen so as to enable a displacement of the front cover member 4 justcorresponding to its reaching a final position in which itscircumference coincides with the circumference of the backing platemember. Additional stop means for the displacement of the front covermember 4 are constituted by forwardly protruding rib members 14 locatedadjacent the bottom edge of the backing member 2.

Both members 2 and 4 are produced by die casting, and in order toprovide for the undercut grooves 12 in an easy manner there is provided,underneath each of these grooves, an elongated hole 16 (seen mostclearly in FIG. 3) representing the use of a corresponding core memberin the mould in which the backing plate member is produced.

Topwise the backing plate is provided with a suspension hole 18, and thecover member has a recess 20 which, in the joined condition of themembers (FIG. 2), leaves the hole 18 free to be received on a suspensionhook or rod. On the other hand the recess 20 terminates just below thehole 18, whereby the cover member cannot be released from the backingplate as long as the packing is suspended by some member extendingthrough the hole.

For opening the packing it will otherwise be sufficient to displace thecover member a short distance upwardly.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the backing plate or plates from severalpackings are provided with edge grooves 22 and forwardly protruding edgetabs 24, the latter being provided as integral plate portion and locatedjust outside the groove spaces 12 in which the wings 8 are received inthe closed condition of the packing. As illustrated most clearly inFIGS. 3 and 4 the arrangement is such that one backing plate may beedged into the groove 22 of another backing plate with its tabs 24inserted into the respective recesses 10 of the other plate, whereafterthe plates may be locked together by a mutual displacement correspondingto the mounting of the front cover member. In this manner it is possibleto assemble a square tube member by means of the backing plates fromfour packings, and as shown in FIG. 4 it will even be possible to joinany number of plates into a cellular structure.

The front side of each backing plate is provided with a number ofparallel ribs 26, and according to FIGS. 3 and 4 the backing plates areassembled in such a manner that these ribs are located on the outside ofthe top and bottom plate element, while they are located on the insideof the vertical side wall elements of the tube structure, extendinggenerally as horizontal ribs opposed to each other. The horizontaldistance between the said side walls will be only slightly longer thanthe complete width of the front cover member including the wings 8, andit will be appreciated that it is hereafter possible to introduce anumber of front cover members into the tube structure and make themsupported by their wings 10 on the ribs 26, as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 4 and in full lines in FIG. 5, whereby a small chest-of-drawers isprovided.

An important and even preferred modification is that the support ribs 26may be replaced by corresponding grooves as shown at 27 in FIG. 4,whereby of course the spacing between the opposed walls of the squaretube or the width of the front cover elements should be adaptedcorrespondingly. Many other modifications will be possible within thescope of the invention, and the packings may even include specialauxiliary equipment for further widening the field of reusepossibilities. As a relevant example may be mentioned a clip or cleatelement usable for edgewise joining two backing plates flush with eachother, e.g. as shown in FIG. 6 illustrating a C-profiled joining clip orcleat 28, or as shown in dotted lines at the lower right hand corner ofFIG. 4, where a corresponding, but H-profiled joining member 30 is shownholding one square tube element on the top of a similar element.

The front cover element 4 of the sales packing, see FIGS. 1 and 2, hasan uppermost flat portion 7 normally used to cover some commercial printon a sheet of paper enclosed in the packing. This portion is well suitedto form a handle on the elements when used as drawers, but of coursethey involve a restriction of the usable drawer area. Provisions may bemade, therefore, to facilitate a separation between the portions 6 and7, e.g. by breaking off the portion 7, whereafter a plurality ofremaining dome portions 6 may be used as short drawers inserted fromboth ends of the square tube support element. Even the broken off flatportions 7 may be reusable, e.g. as shelves in a square tube element.

I claim:
 1. A sales packing of the blister type and of the kindcomprising a backing plate (2) having undercut side edge recesses (12)for receiving and holding opposed edge flange portions (8) of a domedfront cover (4), characterized in that the backing plate (2) along atleast one edge thereof is additionally provided with protruding edgeflange means (24) operable to be received in a said undercut edge recess(12) of a similar backing plate of another corresponding packing byinsertion of the edge flange means (24) for edgewise joining the twobacking plates as separate elements perpendicular to each other, suchthat four similar backing plates are joinable into a square tubeelement, said backing plates (2) further having at least at one sidethereof a number of ribs or grooves (26,27) extending parallel with thebacking plate side edges in such a manner that these ribs (26) orgrooves (27) of opposed inner walls of said square tube element areoperable to support the said opposed edge flange portions (8) of one ormore of said front covers (4) to enable these as separate elements to bemounted in a drawer-like manner in the square tube element.
 2. A packingaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the edge flange portions ofthe front cover along each side thereof are constituted by mutuallyspaced flange portions or wing members (8), that the edge portions ofthe backing plate are provided with correspondingly interspacedintroduction openings (10) in the edge wall portion outside theotherwise undercut edge recess (12), and that the said edge flange meansof the backing plate are correspondingly constituted by mutually spacedrib portions (24) which in the edge direction are offset from the saidintroduction openings (10).
 3. A packing according to claim 1 or 2,characterized in that the backing plate (2) is provided with said edgeflange means (10) along both opposed side edges, the edge flange means(24) and the edge recesses (12) being located so as to enable fourbacking plates to be edgewise joined with cross shape.
 4. A packingaccording to claim 1, characterized in that at one end of the backingplate (2) there is provided a stop member (14) operable to limit theinsertion movement of the front cover (4) at least when inserted as adrawer in a position generally perpendicular to the backing plate.
 5. Apacking according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprisesas an auxiliary a joining element (28,30) operable to join two similarbacking plates (2) flush with each other.